Sony has started a patent action against TiVo. Sony, as well as a couple of its subsidiary companies, have commenced an action against TiVo (and its related businesses Rovi Guides and TiVo Solutions) before a California federal judge, arguing that its PlayStation consoles and similar products do not infringe patents controlled by TiVo. In essence, […]
The US Commerce Department has halted a ban on TikTok that was due to come into effect on November 12th. The order would have prevented the popular video-sharing app from being downloaded in the US. The Commerce Department said it had delayed the ban “pending further legal developments,” citing a Philadelphia court ruling from September […]
India is planning tough regulations on Netflix, Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and the other OTT players operating in the country. Currently the OTT broadcasters can operate free of restrictions, but the new regulations will see the streamers fall under the supervision of the country’s Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. Eight existing OTT operators had […]
A Europe-wide operation headed by Italy’s Guardia di Finanza (Financial Police) has led to the closure of over 5,500 illegal live streaming sites and more than 350 Telegram channels. The operation, named ‘The Perfect Storm’ and coordinated by the Naples Public Prosecutor’s Office, targeted a network that broadcast football matches and sports events via illegal […]
TikTok has filed a legal challenge to the Trump administration’s plan to shut its service down in the US this week. President Trump had ordered a ban on new downloads of the viral video service from November 12th, unless ByteDance was purchased by a US firm – and no deals have been concluded. TikTok said […]
French audiovisual media group Canal+ Group and digital security specialist the Kudelski Group have confirmed the shutdown of a piracy organisation based in Canton of Vaud (Lake Geneva region), that delivered French-speaking on-demand content to thousands of customers. It is the first piracy shutdown of its kind in Switzerland. The operation is the result of […]
UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has confirmed that negotiations over the level of the next BBC licence fee are getting under way and that he has assembled a panel of broadcasting and tech experts to help shape the future of public broadcasting. Writing an opinion piece in UK daily The Telegraph, Dowden says the BBC […]
Comcast and TiVo have ended years of expensive and negative patent litigation against each other. The disputes have stretched back in one form of another for some 15 years and concerned the use of TiVo’s digital technology within its set-top boxes. The agreement to bury the hatchet sees the pair reach a licensing deal which […]
Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and HBO, among others, will pay a 5 per cent revenue tariff in Spain to finance European TV series and movies. The Spanish Administration is amending its TV laws with a new Ley General de Comunicación Audiovisual that will oblige global streamers to finance European productions at the same level as […]
Italy may bring measures to stop France’s Vivendi strengthening its position in the country’s media and telecoms sectors, according to Reuters. Vivendi is biggest investor in Telecom Italia, with a 24 per cent stake. It also holds 29 per cent of Mediaset, the country’s largest commercial broadcaster. Reuters says the government has drafted a law […]